Royal Caribbean made a sudden decision to cancel its Alaska cruise on the Radiance of the Seas after passengers had already boarded the ship. The cruise line discovered that necessary repairs would take longer than anticipated, leading to the cancellation.

Passengers had boarded the ship on Friday with the expectation of a two-day delay before setting sail on Sunday. However, the ship remained in Vancouver for additional days due to the need for repairs, resulting in the cancellation of the sailing.

During the mid-day on Saturday while still docked in Vancouver, an announcement was made over the public address system informing guests of the cancellation to address an ongoing issue with the ship’s propulsion system. Passengers are required to disembark the ship by the following day.

A letter distributed to passengers in their staterooms expressed the cruise line’s regret for the situation, stating that despite their efforts, circumstances beyond their control had caused the delay, leading to the cancellation of the April 26th cruise.

As a gesture of goodwill, Royal Caribbean announced that all guests would receive a 100% refund for the cost of the cruise, including taxes and fees. Additionally, passengers will be given a Future Cruise Credit equivalent to 100% of the cruise fare paid, to be used for a future sailing, with the credit expected to be issued by May 10th.

Passengers were advised to disembark by April 28th, with Royal Caribbean arranging automatic re-scheduling of flight arrangements for those who had booked flights through the cruise line. The company also committed to reimbursing travel change fees and hotel costs for affected passengers.

Despite the cancellation, Royal Caribbean has not disclosed specific details regarding the propulsion system issue that led to the decision. The cruise line expressed apologies for the disruptions to passengers’ vacation plans and assured them of the compensation measures in place.

Prior to the cancellation, the Radiance of the Seas had encountered technical problems during a sailing from Los Angeles to Vancouver, prompting the skip of planned port stops. Passengers were informed of the ‘technical issue’ with the propulsion system, which ultimately led to the cancellation of the April 26th sailing.